Expedition into Nowhere
by Apple from Mars
Summary: An expedition in search of a lost city takes a group of semi-normal people into the heart of the jungles with some bizzar guids. (**AU, Daikenace, Takori, Mikari, Taito, Somi, Jyoushiro, Osojun**)
1. Phone Call

Expedition into Nowhere  
  
Prolog: Phone Call  
  
By Apple from Mars  
  
Pairings: Daisuke X Wallace X Ken, Takeru X Iori, Miyako X Hikari, Taichi X Yamato, Sora X Mimi, Koushiro X Jyou, Jun X Osamu  
  
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-  
  
"Hai?" [1]  
  
"Hello, I'm Yamato Ishida. I'm the one interested in getting a guide through the jungle-"  
  
"Oh, hang on a sec. I'll get my brother, he's the one you want to talk to, ne? OI! DAISUKE, SORE YAMATO HITO ON DENWA YO ANATA! [2] You're looking for Megane Otera?"  
  
"Yes, that's right."  
  
"Though so. Ah, here's Daisuke."  
  
"Arigato Ane. [3] Hi Yamato! You're the one Wallace talked to, yes?"  
  
"You're Daisuke?"  
  
"The one and only. So, when is your team arriving?"  
  
"Hopefully we'll all be there by the sixteenth, although most of us should be there by the fifteenth."  
  
"Sounds good. Do you want to stay an extra night or leave the sixteenth?"  
  
"I'd like to leave on the sixteenth, but we're not sure if one of my team members will be able to make it on time, so we'll have to play it by ear."  
  
"Sou. [4] Is the price you and Wallace discussed still affordable?"  
  
"It's fine. Oh and there are only going to be ten of us. One of the original members can't get time off to come."  
  
"Ah, to bad. You have directions to the village?"  
  
"Yes, I have a map. But I don't know which house is yours"  
  
"Go right to the center of town. It's easiest to find your way around from there. Our house is the third down on Omen Road."  
  
"Omen Road, third one down."  
  
"Hai! Well then, I guess we'll see you when you arrive!"  
  
"I guess."  
  
"Ja ne!" [5]  
  
"Bye."  
  
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-  
  
Footnotes:  
  
[1] - Yes?  
  
[2] - Daisuke, that Yamato person's on phone for you!  
  
[3] - Thank you older sister.  
  
[4] - Ok.  
  
[5] - Bye!  
  
A/N: Short but sweet. And yes, I am showing off my knowledge of Japanese. I will continue to do so throughout the story. Now go and read chapter one! Oh wait, it's not up yet. Never mind. It's half done, so it should be up in a few days. It would be up sooner if I didn't have a presentation due Monday. Ja ne! 


	2. Arrival in Nowhere

Expedition into Nowhere  
  
Chapter One: Arrival in Nowhere  
  
By Apple from Mars  
  
Pairings: Daisuke X Wallace X Ken, Takeru X Iori, Miyako X Hikari, Taichi X Yamato, Sora X Mimi, Koushiro X Jyou, Jun X Osamu  
  
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-  
  
"Omen Road, Omen Road." Yamato chanted from the front seat. "Third one down on Omen Road."  
  
"Yamato, it's not going to be that hard to find, give it a rest already!" Taichi said, not once taking his from the dirt road. "You doing alright back there Hikari?"  
  
The silent girl in the back nodded, watching the trees fade into open ground as they drew nearer and nearer to the village. It was mid morning, and the three had just flown into the nearest airport. They where meeting the rest of their team at the village, where they would also be meeting their three guides for the first time. All together, there where thirteen of them, and Yamato secretly felt that it was NOT a good sign.  
  
"This must be it." Taichi announced as the came out of the forest and onto flat dirt. They drove slowly into the village; the various people watching the truck pull in with mixed emotion. Most people simply glanced at them before returning to their work, but some of the younger children watched with wide, innocent eyes.  
  
"There. Omen Road." Yamato pointed to one of the tiny rows of small houses.  
  
"One, two, three. That one."  
  
"I can count too you know." Taichi said as he pulled to a stop in front of the third house. Yamato merle rolled his eyes as he shoved open the truck's door and got out.  
  
The house was not very impressive, with its flaking paint and old roof. The beach chairs sitting around a folding table out on the porch have obviously seen a lot of use, and the door leading into the house was propped open, and even though the screen door was still shut, it let wafts of fresh air into the house. Hikari and Taichi had gotten out of the car as well when a second car, a small blue one, pulled up and the second it had stopped, two people got out of it.  
  
"Hi Yamato."  
  
Yamato smiled at the pink haired woman who had gotten out of the back seat, and at the red haired man just climbing out of the passenger side.  
  
"You're Mimi, right?" Mimi smiled cheerfully and held out her hand.  
  
"Yep! You must be Taichi, and you're Hikari?"  
  
Taichi shook Mimi's hand, giving her a warm smile. "The two and only."  
  
A second man had gotten out of the other side of the car. He had dark blue hair, and Taichi recognized him in a second.  
  
"Hey Jyou! How's it going?"  
  
"Fine Taichi. Hello Yamato, Hikari. This," Jyou waved at the red haired man, who was busy rummaging around for something inside of the car. "Is Koushiro."  
  
Yamato nodded. "Yeah, I met Koushiro a few weeks ago. Koushiro!"  
  
Koushiro jumped, causing him to bang his head on the roof of the car, before turning and scowling at Yamato, who grinned at the man's sour expression.  
  
"Hi."  
  
"Hello Yamato." Koushiro sighed, standing up and slamming the car door.  
  
"So," Mimi said, looking up at the house. "This is where our guides live?"  
  
Taichi nodded. "That's right. Takeru and Miyako might get here today, but Iori and Sora won't be arriving until tomorrow."  
  
Hikari was still watching the house, ignoring the other people around her. Taichi glanced sideways at her before sighing.  
  
"Shall we go in?"  
  
Yamato nodded, already making his way up the three steps that led onto the porch. He hesitated at the screen door, his five companion's just behind him, when a voice made all six of them jump.  
  
"Donata anata?" [1]  
  
A little girl stood on the other side of the porch, peering through the railing. She appeared to be about ten, maybe eleven. She had bright red hair and wore lose jeans that where muddy and torn from the knees down, with a dark blue T-shirt that was too big for her. After a pause, she scrambled up onto the porch, over the railing, and tugged open the screen door, which screeched in protest.  
  
"Okaa-san, sorera tochaku!" [2]  
  
A woman appeared in the room beyond the doorway. She too had bright red hair and wore a light skirt and a brilliantly colored shirt.  
  
"Ah! You must be Yamato." She said briskly to Yamato, opening the door and ushering them all inside. "Come on in, Daisuke's upstairs."  
  
The kitchen was small and crowded. It was slightly messy, but there where no dirty dishes in the sink and the windows had been washed only a week or so ago. The table WAS messy, scattered with papers, pencils, and quite a few books. The little girl had vanished from sight.  
  
"I'm Daisuke's older sister, Jun." Jun gave the group a small smile as she set down the tray of muffins she had been holding and moved into a tiny hallway where a small rickety old staircase could be seen.  
  
"Daisuke, your guests are here! Ken, Wallace, if you want any muffins you'd better come quick!" Jun strolled back into the kitchen while above her could be heard scattered voices. Then the voices dimmed and someone shouted through the ceiling.  
  
"Jun, if those muffins are gone by the time I get down there you are going to DIE."  
  
A smile spread across Jun's face and taking the tray of steaming muffins, she placed it on the countertop. Opening a cupboard door, she pulled out a second muffin tray and set it on the table just as what appeared to be a large herd of elephants came trampling down the stairs.  
  
A teenage boy came skidding into the kitchen. He had Jun's spiked red hair, although his was more maroon than red, and he glared at the empty muffin tray as if it had personally offended him. His cloths where baggy and gave off the image that they where to large, although it might have been that he was too small, though he was by no means short.  
  
"Baka."  
  
Two more boys, both the same age as Daisuke, had also come down stairs unnoticed. The blue haired boy was attempting to hide his amusement as he snatched one of the muffins from the tray on the counter, but the blond haired boy was making no attempt to hide his snickers as he munched happily on his muffin.  
  
"Daisuke, you're guests are here." Jun said patiently as Daisuke grabbed one of the muffins, glaring at the blond haired boy menacingly. Daisuke blinked the looked around the crowded kitchen in surprise, while his "guests" tried not to laugh.  
  
"Oh! You're here!" Daisuke smiled cheerfully at them all, holding out the tray. "Muffin? They're Jun's specialty, applesauce."  
  
Everyone accepted gracefully, except Hikari who simply took one without saying anything.  
  
"I'm Daisuke, this is Ken, and that thing is Wallace." Wallace gave them a sweeping bow, while Ken smiled and nodded to each of them.  
  
Yamato quickly introduced his companions, and as Koushiro smiled at them from over a muffin, two young girls came skidding into the room. One of them was the same red haired girl as before, but with her was a blue haired girl, same age and the same wild look about her.  
  
"Okaa-san, Osamu's ie!" [3]  
  
Jun looked up as the two girls vanished from sight almost before they had even entered the room. Signing, Jun turned to face the group.  
  
"Show them where they'll be sleeping you three. Dinner will be ready in about a half an hour, and I don't want you thundering around like a bunch of elephants while I'm cooking. Understand?"  
  
Daisuke nodded solemnly as the red-haired woman left the room.  
  
Wallace finished his muffin and moved over towards the stairs.  
  
"Come on, I'll show you where you're sleeping for tonight. It'll be a bit crowded I'm afraid, but it's only for one night. And no Ken, I am NOT giving up my bed! If you remember, this is the last time I'm going to be able to sleep on a bed for quite a while, so don't get me started."  
  
Ken laughed. "I didn't say anything." He too started up the stairs. "You're just being paranoid. I wasn't even going to bring it up; I know what you're like just before an expedition."  
  
Daisuke followed his friends up the rickety stairs, the rest of the group following behind. At the landing, which was really not much more than a tiny rectangle, Hikari noticed a small duty window. Peering though as she walked past, she could see the backyard. It was little more than a patch of dirt really; the only grass was at the edges of the yard. A small chicken coop took up one corner, and she could see Jun talking to a blue haired man by the backdoor. Two young girls where playing with a set of marbles a few feet away. As Hikari looked, the light orange marble when ramming into the blue and green one.  
  
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-  
  
Footnotes:  
  
[1] - Who are you?  
  
[2] - Mama, they arrived!  
  
[3] - Mama, Osamu's home!  
  
A/N: As you've noticed, I have the town people speaking in Japanese. I wanted to distinguish the way they speak and act from the way the rest of the people speak and act. I'm sorry if it's annoying.  
  
I also have to say I'm REALLY sorry I took so long with this chapter! Its three pages long, which is a page longer than my normal chapters, but I still should have had it up sooner. I'll try to get chapter two out as soon as my muse cooperates. 


	3. Setting Off

Expedition into Nowhere  
  
Chapter Two: Setting Off  
  
By Apple from Mars  
  
Pairings: Daisuke X Wallace X Ken, Takeru X Iori, Miyako X Hikari, Taichi X Yamato, Sora X Mimi, Koushiro X Jyou, Jun X Osamu  
  
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-  
  
Wallace looked over the group with a keen eye from his vantage point on the roof. They where obviously skilled in their own ways, but as a group they seemed rather miss-matched, as though things didn't quite fit right. But the blond somehow had a feeling that things would work out.  
  
Down bellow, Taichi was finishing packing some extra things into his backpack. Hikari was sitting in the back of the truck with her pack, looking sulky and shooting dangerous glares to anyone who came near her. Wallace decided he pitied Miyako, who had been trying to strike up conversations with the girl all morning.  
  
"Wallace, are you done packing yet?" Wallace turned to see Daisuke standing half in, half out of the window, grinning at him. The maroon haired teen pulled himself out onto the porch room and seated himself next to Wallace.  
  
"At least it'll be more interesting than our last trip." Daisuke pointed out. Wallace snorted.  
  
"Our last trip sucked. Don't ever mention it again."  
  
Daisuke leaned over and nibbled on the blonde's earlobe. "I'd make it up to you but you know the rules."  
  
Wallace shivered at Daisuke touch, before nodding. "Don't freak out the customers until after the trip is over and we've been paid." Wallace suddenly grinned. "Can we freak them out after the trip?"  
  
Daisuke laughed. "Don't we always? Of course Ken will pretend not to notice us."  
  
"We could gang up on him." Wallace suggested, and he and Daisuke shared an equally evil smirk.  
  
"We'll work out the details later." Daisuke said, getting up and dropping lightly back through the bedroom window. "Right now we're supposed to be going."  
  
Wallace followed suit, but before the two went down stairs, they shared a quick kiss.  
  
Feeling somewhat giddy, Wallace bounded down the spiral stairs, wincing as he heard them moan in protest. They where defiantly going to have to do something about those floorboards. The fifth and seventh steps already had huge cracks in them, but Wallace suspected that that was mostly the twin's fault. Osamu and Jun would never admit it, but their children where devils with way to much energy.  
  
"About time you two got down here." Ken remarked from where he had been standing, just beside the porch door. Wallace wondered briefly if he could find an excuse to drag Ken upstairs for a minute, but Ken was already out the door, Daisuke following close behind.  
  
"You ready?" Osamu was sitting in the driver seat of his large blue pickup truck, leaning out of the window with raised eyebrows. As usual, he had offered to drive the group to edge of town and as far as the nearest road went. The rest of the trip they would be walking, since no roads went through the dense jungles.  
  
"All set." Ken said, throwing open the passenger side door and climbing in.  
  
Wallace could just see three people sitting in the back seat already, so he shrugged and followed Daisuke around to the back of the truck. The tailgate had already been closed, and the other seven people where already inside. Wallace took a quick moment to do a head count and see who he would be spending the next twenty minutes with.  
  
Hikari was leaning against the open window at the back of the truck, looking suicidal. Miyako was right next to her, and next to the purple haired girl was Sora. Since Sora had only arrived an hour or so ago, Wallace hadn't gotten a good look at her. She had a tough sort of build, and was watching everyone around her with a look of suppressed interest. In particular, she was watching Mimi, who was also sitting in the back. Jyou and Koushiro where sitting quietly, as was Iori. Iori had also arrived an hour ago, and Wallace took another second to get a good look at the boy. His face was schooled into a blank expression, and he obviously trained in some field that required meditation.  
  
"Wallace, if you'll remember, Osamu has no qualms about leaving you behind. Hurry up before he stars the car!" Daisuke's voice pulled Wallace out of his thoughts and on impulse he jumped into the back. Not a moment to soon, because a second later the truck started and Osamu pulled out of the driveway.  
  
"You've been left behind?" Sora asked, her curiosity apparently getting the better of her. Wallace shuddered and quickly answered before Daisuke could butt in.  
  
"That happened last time. And Daisuke, you SAID you wouldn't bring that up, so don't even TRY to tell them about it. I have no qualms, as you put it, about throwing you out of the truck."  
  
"I'd like to see you try." Daisuke taunted, and even though he was smirking widely he said nothing.  
  
Sora glanced from one to the other in confusion, before smiling slightly "Do I want to know?"  
  
Daisuke let out a resounding "NO!" at the same time Wallace let out a cheerful "YES!" and the two promptly became engaged in a glaring contest. Sora shook her head and glanced at Mimi for a second before turning and watching the houses go by.  
  
"If they get too annoying you could always throw them out. I'm sure I can navigate without them." Ken's voice drifted to their ears from the front seat. He leaned out the window and grinned at them, his blue hair blowing across his face in the wind.  
  
"Curious. Do you always behave in this manor?" Koushiro asked. Ken blinked, and then smiled.  
  
"I'm sorry. Yeah, we're like this most of the time. If we get too annoying tell us to shut up, otherwise Daisuke will talk until your ears fall off."  
  
They where leaving the village behind and now the forest whistled past them in a green tangle of leaves and trees. Osamu began followed a bumpy dirt road that seemed to be entirely made of potholes. The second they turned onto the road, Wallace and Daisuke grabbed onto the sides of the truck as though they where the only things standing between them and eternal torture. The rest of the people in the back exchanged worried looks before following the navigator's example.  
  
"What kind of road IS this?" Jyou moaned three minutes later.  
  
"I don't think this should even be CONSIDERED a road!" Mimi wailed. She was clinging to the side very tightly, looking rather panicked.  
  
"The only road that goes into the part of the forest we need to be in." Daisuke explained, then he and Wallace let out identical groans as the bumping stopped and they came out onto gravel.  
  
"Aw crap." Wallace swore. "I forgot Osamu likes the stream."  
  
"Stream?" Miyako asked worriedly.  
  
Daisuke nodded. "Just try not to fall out. You're going to get wet no mater what."  
  
Up front, both Ken and Osamu had rolled up their windows.  
  
"Hang on back there!" Ken's voice could now only be heard through the small window that Hikari was leaning against. The depressed teen had a firm grip on the edge of the truck, and looked as though she would rather be anywhere except where she was.  
  
Up front, Osamu started going a few miles faster. Daisuke shut his eyes. Wallace let out an overdramatic sigh. And then they where drenched in water.  
  
The stream it's self was huge by steam standards, but it wasn't big enough to be a river. It was wider than it was deep, but considering it was three feet deep this didn't mean anything. The thing with this particular stream was that it had a habit of sending water very high into the sky, until it came plummeting down and drenched anyone in its way, even if they where riding in the back of say, the back of a blue pickup truck.  
  
"I'm WET!" Mimi screeched, horrified. In truth, she was one of the least wet. The water seemed to have done no damage to any of the backpacks, all of which where waterproof, but the people where indeed drenched. Daisuke and Wallace, riding in the most exposed area of the truck, looked as though they had just gone for a swim in their clothes.  
  
"Yeah. Remind me to kill Osamu." Wallace grumbled, shaking himself like a dog and sending drops of water flying in all directions.  
  
"Can I kill him too?" Miyako asked, looking almost as murderous as Hikari. Daisuke shrugged.  
  
"Sure. Get in line."  
  
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-  
  
A/N: Wow! No footnotes! As you can tell, most of the Japanese stuff was mostly for the first two chapters and last two as well. Oh, and did you know that that little gate thing on the back of trucks is called a tailgate?  
  
I wrote this whole thing in one big rush, which is strange for me. I really like this story, it's so fun. Yay for Wallakensuke! I actually wrote it last night, but the internet server was being stupid and I couldn't get online to upload it. Anyway, chapter three won't be up for a little while. Enjoy! 


	4. Forest Trouble

Expedition into Nowhere  
  
Chapter Three: Forest Trouble  
  
By Apple from Mars  
  
Pairings: Daisuke X Wallace X Ken, Takeru X Iori, Miyako X Hikari, Taichi X Yamato, Sora X Mimi, Koushiro X Jyou, Jun X Osamu  
  
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-  
  
"You know, that wasn't a very nice thing to do Osamu." Ken muttered quietly to his brother as the commotion died down, and people began getting their packs strapped on. Takeru, Taichi, and Yamato, all of whom where very dry, found the whole thing rather funny. Osamu simply winked at Ken.  
  
"Who said I was nice? See you later Kenny, don't let the jaguars eat you!" With a wave Osamu climbed back into the truck and leaned out the window to call to Daisuke and Wallace.  
  
"Hey you two!"  
  
"What two?" Daisuke asked, looking around in confusion. Wallace chuckled and leaned over to whisper something in Daisuke's ear. Daisuke blinked, and then turned to Osamu.  
  
"Yeah? What are you waiting for, leave already!"  
  
Osamu laughed. "No need to yell at me! Tsuyosa you three. Don't get yourselves killed: I don't want Jun murdering me. Ja ne!"  
  
And with that he drove away.  
  
The clearing was moderately large, and rested just on the other side of the creak they had driven through. From here on, huge trees and exotic plants sprouted to close together for a car to get through. It was humid and the air was hot and sticky already. Daisuke shouldered his pack and started off into the trees.  
  
"Well, let's go." Wallace and Ken, their packs already strapped on, followed suit and there was nothing for everyone else to do except follow. The ground was relatively flat, with a slight upwards slope. The trees where covered in green moss and occasional hanging vines. The sky wasn't visible through the canopy above them, though sunlight filtered through the leaves in patches. There weren't many bushes or ground plants growing in this particular area either, so walking was almost pleasant, except for the heat and wet clothes.  
  
"So where exactly are we headed?" Sora said, keeping pace with Wallace and Takeru, who where walking a few feet apart. Wallace gave her a cheerful smile.  
  
"We're first going to an old burial site. A group we know is going to start excavating it in a few months." Wallace shrugged. "We have to pass through it anyway, and Yamato wanted to stop by and check it out. We might run into some friends of ours!" Wallace grinned.  
  
"Are you rambling again?" Ken called from somewhere behind them. Wallace rolled his eyes heavenward.  
  
"Well, she asked and it's not like we don't have the time." Wallace retorted. He turned his attention back to Sora and Takeru. "Anyway, we should get there tomorrow afternoon, and from there we go up to the river. After that it's only a day or so until we get too Megane Otera."  
  
"So you know the city exists?" Takeru asked. Wallace shook his head. "We normally don't cross the river for.. various reasons. I've only been there a few times myself, and never in the exact area we're going to."  
  
Miyako half listened to the conversation going on in front of her. Most of her attention however was on Hikari. For some odd reason the girl intrigued Miyako. She was a puzzle that was practically begging to be solved.  
  
Moving so that she was walking next to Hikari, Miyako once again attempted conversation.  
  
"So what are you doing here? Are you just here because of your brother, or are you a paleontologist as well?"  
  
"I'm an artist." Miyako smiled slightly at the response. It was more than she had gotten out of the brown haired girl all day.  
  
"Really? What kind of art do you do?"  
  
"Various."  
  
"Well, what do you work with most of the time?"  
  
"Drawing."  
  
"That's so cool! Do you do people or landscapes?"  
  
With each question Hikari seemed to become more confused, but her answers where always said in the same emotionless tone, and her face didn't betray her feelings either. It was all in Hikari's eyes. Miyako decided that, no mater how much Hikari WANTED to hide her feelings, her eyes would always be the thing that gave her away. They where bright and sparkling, and soft and sharp all at once.  
  
Jyou glanced sideways at Koushiro and then turned his attention back to the ground as he almost tripped over another tree root, which seemed to have walked right into his path on purpose.  
  
The man was only a few years younger than Jyou was, but Jyou could tell that underestimating Koushiro was a huge mistake. He obviously was very skilled at his job; however he also seemed to be very skilled when it came to avoiding Jyou's eyes. What he had done to make Koushiro avoid looking at him was still a mystery to Jyou.  
  
Shoving a low hanging vine out of his eyes, Jyou surveyed the group traveling ahead of him. He was one of the slowest people there, so he could see almost everyone without having to do much looking around.  
  
Mimi was just ahead to his right. The pink haired woman had a small handheld camera out, Jyou noted with interest, and was fiddling with it while still managing not to fall flat on her face. Leading the way, Daisuke and Ken where almost out of site in the forest ahead. Sora, Takeru, and Wallace, walking just behind them, and where engaged in conversation about the trip ahead. Miyako and Hikari where talking or rather, Miyako was talking very fast and Hikari didn't seem to have the heart to tell the purple haired girl to go away. Taichi and Yamato where walking silently a few feet apart, with Iori trailing behind them. The brown haired boy was the youngest of the group, but he had hardly spoken at all since he had arrived. And Koushiro of course was still walking just to Jyou's left.  
  
"Hey Wallace, did you take my compass again?"  
  
"No, why do you ask?"  
  
"Because I can't find it, and yes you DID take it. It's hanging off your backpack."  
  
"That's not your compass Ken, it's mine!"  
  
"Ha ha. Very funny, since you don't have a compass. Give it back Wallace."  
  
"No! Use Daisuke's!"  
  
A long sigh. "Wallace. Daisuke doesn't have a compass either. We share one. Now be nice and give the compass back to me."  
  
"Have at thee, coward!" [1]  
  
"Daisuke, has he been reading Shakespeare again?"  
  
"How should I know? I don't keep track of what he reads!"  
  
"What is this Shakespeare thou do speak of?"  
  
"..He's been reading Shakespeare again."  
  
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-  
  
"Taichi, how did we find these lunatics again?"  
  
Taichi laughed lightly as Yamato put his head in his hands. "A friend of yours recommended them, remember? Come on, they're not that bad. I think they're funny."  
  
The blond man rolled his eyes. "Yeah, a regular bunch of comedians." In the background, Wallace could be heard reciting various lines from, A Midsummer Night's Dream.  
  
"They do seem to know there way around this place though." Yamato admitted grudgingly. Three times that day they had tried to go in the wrong direction without even realizing it, only to be quietly corrected by one of their guides.  
  
"And they provide some interesting entertainment." Taichi added, and Yamato chuckled slightly.  
  
"See? They're not that bad. Just a little.... Unprofessional, that's all."  
  
Night had quickly settled in over the forest like a dark blanket, and the group of thirteen had only stopped when it got to dark to see where they where going. According to Ken they where making good progress, and would reach the burial ground tomorrow late morning if they kept up their good pace.  
  
"Alright Wallace, you can shut up now. Some people are actually interested in going to SLEEP!" Daisuke grumbled from where he was curled up in a small two-person camping tent. "I'm sure everyone need there sleep for tomorrow."  
  
The blond boy sulked for a moment as good nights where called across the tiny campgrounds. Finally Daisuke threw a pillow at Wallace's back, hissing something about buckets of hot water, and so Wallace flopped lightly back onto his sleeping bag, hearing Ken's soft breathing on his left, and Daisuke's muffled snores on his right.  
  
As sleep crawled into the tent around him, his lips quirked for a second into a little smile, and a single stream of words fell from his lips before he shut his eyes.  
  
"Four days will quickly steep themselves in night; four nights will quickly dream away the time; and then the moon, like to a silver bow, new-bent in heaven, shall behold the night of our solemnities." [2]  
  
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-  
  
Footnotes:  
  
[1] - Quote from Tybalt in Act 1, Scene 1 of Romeo Juliet.  
  
[2] - Quote from Hippolyta in Act 1, Scene 1 of A Midsummer Night's Dream.  
  
A/N: Well, this chapter took a while, and while I was re-reading the previous chapters, I made a discovery. I am not a good writer. Eh, that's ok. As long as no one bluntly points it out to me, I should be fine. Both the quotes came from this awesome website - it in all it's glory. I love the second quote, and it fit this story so well I had to stick it in somehow. Chapter four will come out sometime.. Maybe.. 


End file.
